THE FRIENDLY ARCTIC 533 



we have preferred to use Sverdrup's own chart, as shown in the 

 second volume of "New Land" by Otto Sverdrup, New York, 1904. 



The part of this map which interests us especially at present 

 is called King Christian Land on Sverdrup's map, although the 

 island of identical outline is called Findlay Island (King Christian 

 Land) on the Admiralty chart. The history of this island up to 

 the date of our arrival is as follows: On April 27, 1853, Sherard 

 Osborn in command of a sledge party in search of traces of Sir 

 John Franklin, was near the northwest corner of Bathurst Island 

 and saw land on the skyline to the northwest. Under date of April 

 28th he says in his diary: "Saw the new island seen yesterday 

 bearing NNE. about twenty miles distant and covering ten de- 

 grees of the horizon." * 



From bearings and other notes taken by Lieutenant Osborn 

 there was published in connection with the report of Sir Edward 

 Belcher's expedition of which Osborn was a member, a map showing 

 "Findlay Island" and "Patterson Island" (sometimes spelled Pater- 

 son, and Findlay has on some maps been spelled Finlay). Patter- 

 son Island was indicated as very small and Findlay Island to the 

 west as somewhat larger, but both were dotted in, showing that the 

 exact location and northward extent were unknown. 



The charts were in this condition when in 1901 Sverdrup sent 

 Isachsen and Hassel to survey land to the west which they had 

 sighted the previous year when surveying the southwestern part of 

 Heiberg Island. Turning to Sverdrup's "New Land," Vol. II, p. 

 296, we find a brief account of King Christian Island, and so far as 

 I know the only published account, for in examining the four- 

 volume scientific report of the expedition I have been able to find 

 no material additional information. "In the evening they (Isach- 

 sen and Hassel) saw land in the west and southwest, decided to 

 drive west, and arrived the next day at Nathorst Peninsula (since 

 called Cape Nathorst) , where they found a good deal of vegetation 

 and the tracks of reindeer coming from the south. 



"When they turned out on April 27 they saw west of them a 

 land extending as far to the southward as the eye could see. This 

 was named 'King Christian's Land.' Its north coast appeared to 

 be rather low, but the east coast fell away so abruptly that no 

 snow could lodge on the cliffs." 



It would seem that if Isachsen's party never visited King Chris- 



* "Further Papers Relative to the Recent Arctic Expeditions in Search 

 of Sir John Frankhn," London, 1855, p. 200. 



